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Mr Maliki also contradicted a US military statement which said an Iraqi-US ground and air assault in Sadr City, a slum district of Baghdad, in which four people were killed, had been authorised by his government. "We will be seeking an explanation from the multinational forces to avoid a repetition of what happened without our co-operation in advance," he said. The district is a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shia cleric, whose supporters are accused of being responsible for much of the sectarian violence.

The US said the raid had been conducted against a commander directing "death squad activity".

Mr Maliki said he had not been consulted and promised that "it will not be repeated".

The US has said that the problems of militias are the gravest threats to Iraq's security. Although Mr Maliki used a televised address yesterday to promise a crackdown on them, his government derives much of its power from Shia parties with powerful militias.

It has become clear that American support for his premiership is waning. So suspicious is he of US intentions that he used a recent phone call with President Bush to ask if the White House planned to overthrow him. There were reports in American newspapers yesterday that the US was encouraging the military to overthrow him and form a new "national salvation" government. Citing Iraqi and Arab sources, they detailed how officers were flown to Washington to discuss taking power, suspend the constitution, dissolve parliament and form a new government.

It is highly unlikely that the US would authorise such a plan as it would be an unparalleled admission of failure for its previous strategy. But the prevalence of such talk indicates how weak Mr Maliki's position has become.